Ready for a quick network check? Don't worry: you won't need to open anything up, change any settings or complete a complicated technical test.
We will ask you ten questions about the network your organization relies on every day. As you read, answer each one for yourself with yes, no, partly or not sure.
For every question, we explain why the subject matters. This will show you where you already have good visibility and where some extra attention could save time, investigation and unpleasant surprises later.
Can you answer every question with a confident yes? Excellent. Unsure about a few? That is useful too. By the end of this article, you will know exactly what deserves a closer look.
Ready? Let's begin. Keep the four possible answers in mind: yes, no, partly or not sure.
Why does this matter? During an outage, change or expansion, you do not want to begin by reconstructing how the environment fits together. An up-to-date diagram speeds up diagnosis, prevents incorrect assumptions and makes handovers to colleagues or vendors easier.
Sound familiar? Several versions exist, but nobody knows which one is current.
Why does this matter? When support or security updates end, new vulnerabilities are no longer fixed and the risk of attack increases. Central visibility of end-of-life and end-of-support dates lets you plan replacements before a security risk or technical issue becomes an urgent project.
Sound familiar? The device still works perfectly well, but the support contract's end date is not easy to find.
Why does this matter? Without a central overview, it is difficult to determine which systems are behind on updates and may therefore be vulnerable to attack. Differences can also develop between locations without anyone noticing. This makes changes, management and troubleshooting less predictable.
Sound familiar? Nobody can immediately confirm whether every device is up to date. Differences often become visible only during a change or outage.
Why does this matter? Personal accounts, centralized access management and multifactor authentication make administrative actions easier to trace. Permissions can also be changed more quickly when someone changes role, employer or vendor.
Sound familiar? Several administrators share the same administrator account because that is how it was set up years ago.
Why does this matter? Access can remain active after a project or partnership has ended. For every vendor, you therefore need to know why access is required, which permissions have been granted and who owns that access internally.
Sound familiar? A vendor can still log in, but nobody internally knows who is responsible for that access.
Why does this matter? Anything accessible from the internet requires extra attention. You need to know which systems and services are externally accessible, why that access is required, who uses it and how it is secured. Without a current overview, temporary or unnecessary access can remain active unnoticed. This needlessly increases the risk of unauthorized access or a cyberattack.
Sound familiar? A temporary firewall rule or external connection is still active, but nobody knows exactly what it is needed for.
Why does this matter? Effective segmentation limits which users and devices can reach one another. As a result, a problem on a guest network or standard workstation does not have to affect management environments and critical systems directly.
Sound familiar? Different networks exist on paper, but nobody has recently checked which traffic can pass between them.
Why does this matter? OT and IoT devices often remain in use for a long time, may have limited security options or depend on external vendors for management. Effective separation limits which other systems these devices can reach. This helps prevent a vulnerable or compromised device from becoming an entry point to workstations, servers or other critical systems.
Sound familiar? A camera, sensor, printer or machine was connected to the network at some point, but nobody knows exactly which other systems the device can reach.
Why does this matter? A network outage can immediately affect communications, applications, production, service delivery and availability. By documenting critical dependencies and single points of failure in advance, you can decide where additional continuity measures are needed.
Sound familiar? A backup connection is available, but nobody knows when failover was last tested.
Why does this matter? After a failure, incorrect change or security incident, you do not want to discover that a backup is missing or can be restored only by a former vendor. A backup is useful only when responsibility is clear, it is stored securely, the recovery procedure is documented and restoration is tested regularly.
Sound familiar? Everyone assumes the vendor creates backups, but nobody knows when a critical configuration was last successfully restored in a test.
Could you answer all ten questions with yes and support each answer with evidence? If so, you appear to have a solid foundation.
Did you answer no, partly or not sure anywhere? There is no need to panic. That does not automatically mean your network is unsafe or that something is about to go wrong.
It does show where the picture is incomplete. If that uncertainty concerns a critical connection, important system or external access, it is sensible to investigate further, for example with the Health Check.
The aim is not a perfect score. The aim is to know:
| what is demonstrably in order; |
| where information is missing; |
| which dependencies matter; |
| what needs attention first. |
Would you like to turn these ten questions into a practical initial assessment? The free Network & Security Readiness Pack helps you assess your network, security, connectivity and management.
You will receive:
| a readiness scorecard covering four important areas; |
| a template for vendors and dependencies; |
| a template for assets, licenses and lifecycle information; |
| eight practical quick wins you can start with immediately. |
| All documents will be in Dutch. Do you really want this in English, contact us here. |
Our Health Check goes beyond the self-assessment. We examine how networking, security and connectivity work together, validate the main findings and translate them into clear priorities and a no-nonsense roadmap.
Book an introductory call for the Health Check
When is a network demonstrably manageable?
A network is demonstrably manageable when its architecture, components, access, dependencies and recovery options are documented, kept current and reviewed regularly.
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What if I cannot answer all ten questions? |
What is the difference between the Readiness Pack and the Health Check? |
